Yoke for draft-gears.



c. J. NASH.

YOKE F08 QHAFT GEARS. APLlcATmN HLEQ'APR. 2a. 1913.

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

aerien,

CHARLES J. NASH, OE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL DRAFT GEARATTACHMENT CO., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

YOKE FOR DRAFT-GEARS.

Vand ,a socketed head for engagement with the butt of the coupler bar.Its objects hare to secure simplicity of construction; improved meansfor retaining in working relation the strap and head when made asseparate parts, and an improved ller for the rear end of the yoke.

The invention consists of a socketed head, a strap having its endsinserted through the head and folded outwardly and backwardly along theouter faces of the top and bottom walls of the head, and a filler blockhaving lingers which grip the rear end of the yoke.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the yoke ;VFig. 2 is a side view thereof with some parts broken away; and Fig. 3 isa central longitudinal plan section.

The head comprises a top wall 10, a bottom wall 11, and side wall 12. Inthe structure as shown the side walls are prolonged forwardly beyond thetop and bottom Walls, and are provided with longitudinal key-receivingslots 13 tofafford means for securing the head to the butt of a couplerbar (not shown) when the latter is inserted .within its throat. Thestrap 14 of the yoke is preferably of wrought metal, and is given theusual U form to adapt it to inclose the cushioning and transmittingelements of the gear (not shown). The forward ends of the strap 14 areinserted loosely through the head, and bear, respectively, against theinner faces of the top and bottom walls thereof 10 and 11, and arefolded outwardly and backwardly, as shown at 15, 16, to overlapthesewalls and bear against their outer faces. Preferably, though notnecessarily, the yoke ends are thickened at the outward bend, as shownat 17, 18, `to provide increased strength to resist pulling stresses.

Speecaton of Letters Iatent.

i Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

Serial No. 764,101.

lVhen thus formed it becomes unnecessary tolattach the strapto the headby rivets or' other securing means. rIlhe head is free to slide upon thestrap in the builing action,

land this sliding will occur if there be present any resistance to thebackward movement of the strap. IVhen the hailing stresses are relieved,the head will return to its normal position as represented in thedrawings.

The hooks formed upon the forward ends of the side members of the yokeby turning them backwardly, as shown at 15, 1G, resist any tendency ofthe yoke to collapse under excessive pulling stresses, and thus insure aproper engagement. of the strap with the head at all times.

The yoke is shown as provided with a filler block 19 at its inner endwhich forms a bearing for the rearward follower. The end Q0 of the yokemay be symmetrically curved and the rear face of the block 19 is given acorresponding curvature. This block 19 is of cast metal and may behollow as shown and furthermore may, for the purpose of decreasing itsweight, be perforated in its several walls as-shown. The block isprovided with a pair of integral fingers, 21, 22, located on its sidewalls and adjacent its rearward face and normally projecting d1-agonally outward as represented by dotted lines in F ig. 1. The outerend of each of these'fingers is provided with an inturned hook asrepresented at 23 and when the block is properly `placed within the yoket end, theifingers are bent inwardly by a blowl or by pressure, theirhooks engaging the rearward face vof the yoke end. By this means thefiller block is securely held in place and without the use of rivets orother securing means thereby avoiding the weakening of the yoke byperforations. The filler block is preferably a malleable casting inorder that its lingers may be properly fiexed in assembling the parts.

I do not claim in this application the filler block 19 and the means forattaching it to the yoke, as this feature of nay-invention is made thesubject of an application whichis a division of this one.

I yclaim as my invention,

1. In a draft gear yoke, in combination, a socketed head and a strapcomprising side members, the fprward ends of which extend.

through the head and are folded back along of the head and have abearing on the outer the outer faces of he Walls thereof.

2. ln a draftgear yoke, n combination, a socketed head and a U-shapedstrap, thevfor- 'ward ends of the strap projecting through the head andbeing provided with hooks which receive 'the forward edges of the Wallsto the axis of the yoke.

` CHARLES J. NASH. Witnesses:

Lome K. GILLSON,

E. Ml KLATCHER.

oples of ibis patent may be obanecl for ve cents each, by addressing theCommissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

faces thereof in a 'direction perpenoeularA

